Recovery
by RoxanneRay
Summary: After sixteen years, Darth Vader comes back to the light. Not as Anakin Skywalker, not yet, but as a shop owner named Jinn. Leia Kenobi is a strong willed, passionate, brave-to-the-point-of-stupidity kind of girl who befriends him. How will Jinn get to know the child he thought to be dead all these years with the Emperor out for his head?
1. New Beginnings

**Hey everyone! This is my new story, I hope you all enjoy it. I'm really taking the time to try to better my writing skills so don't be afraid to leave some constructive criticism. Some of you may have read my older story that I'm still working on called "It started with shoes." I have a feeling this story is going to be more stable than that one. Mainly plot wise and character development wise. I'm hoping. I'll be more than happy to answer questions as well, but I'd like to let you know before hand about the ages in this story.**

 **This is going to take place sixteen years after ROTS. So Anakin should be like 38, Obi Wan will be 54 and obviously the twins will be 16. Leia is the main twin in this story, but Luke will come in I promise. And he'll disappear for a while but once the plot is all laid out he'll come back. Don't worry! And I also plan to start a Luke/OC story at some point so he'll get his time to shine too.**

 **Alright! Well, with that being said, I hope you enjoy the story! Please review and tell me what you think! I will dearly appreciate it. Thank you!**

* * *

 _A slim hand reached out towards his cheeks, wiping the tears that slipped down his face. He was breathing heavily, heaving as he tried to regain what little composure he had left. He looked up into golden brown eyes, full of sorrow and loss._

 _"It's not too late Ani."_

Vader sat up in his bed, sweating profusely. He wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks, looking at the glisten of his wet hands. When was the last time he had cried? He thought of the night on Mustafar. That was when. When he still had her. He put his head in his hands. He had been getting those visions lately. Of her. Her hauntingly sad eyes staring at him with nothing but love and compassion, begging him to come back to the light. Like last time. And he denied her. _Then he killed her and their baby._

The anguish was too much for him to handle. Screaming, he used the force to throw the night stand at the wall, letting the wood shatter into a million pieces. Breathing heavily, he sat there for a few minutes. He was angry. These visions had been tormenting him for years now, just as they had while she was pregnant. He was angry because they wouldn't stop. He was angry because he kept seeing her angelic face, and the look of anguish and betrayal when he choked her.

He was angry because _it was working_.

The struggle of finding anger to stay in the dark side was subsiding. He only became a Sith to protect her, and she's dead. Palpatine never showed him how to save other's from death. He knew he'd been manipulated. But how far did the manipulation go? It didn't matter. He was still fooled. His heartstrings played like an instrument. Like he was a puppet.

 _"There's too many of them Master Skywalker, what are we gonna do?"_

The younglings. The innocent children that had looked up to him to guidance and ended up looking at the deadly end of his lightsaber. He had slaughtered them. And he told himself it was to save his wife and child. But he took other children's lives at that cost. And he cannot bring them back. His breathing became heavy again as a new wave of fresh tears clouded his vision, he put his face into his hands, the guilt hidden away for so many years crashing over him like a dam breaking. And he wept. He wept for the innocent babies that he had murdered, all for his own selfish desire. She would have never wanted him to do that, even if it was to save her own life.

He needed to get out. He needed to be free of the slavery he had put himself in once again. He needed redemption. He thought of Master Windu, the younglings, all the other Jedi and innocent lives he had taken over the years. Of Obi-Wan, his mentor who he tried to kill. Who had the chance to rid of him once and for all, but instead, he pulled him out of the way of the lava. Even in his darkest time, his Master had not killed him. Yet he had betrayed them all by turning. He had spent so many years staying angry, and wanting revenge. But now? He wanted forgiveness. His tear's slowly subsided, as he continued to ponder, to fight the darkness that told him to stay.

He would redeem himself. He would turn back to the light. For all of them. He will leave here immediately, and _nothing_ would stop him. He would destroy the Emperor. Destroy the Sith once and for all. Anakin Skywalker made an oath to himself that night. He would fulfill the prophecy one day. He would bring balance to the Force. Their deaths, they would not be in vain.

* * *

Anakin trudged down the gloomy corridor deep in thought about how he would escape, when he sensed the admiral walking up to him. He turned around and the admiral stopped short, bowing his head.

"My Lord, we have a rebel leader in custody." _Perfect._ Anakin nodded in return.

"Bring me to him." Admiral nodded sharply, turning around and expecting Anakin to follow. They walked down to the holding cells, and stepped inside one of the interrogation rooms. A boy, no older than sixteen, sat in the hard metal chair with his hands bound in front of him. He noted the boy was Force sensitive. He needed off this ship before Palpatine got wind of him. He slowly tried to read his emotions, staying out of his mind. Anakin was pleasantly surprised to not feel fear radiating off of him. Just disgust. Not that he blamed him. "Rebel." Anakin purred. He had to keep up appearances did he not?

The boy held his head high, looking at Anakin with cool disdain in his blue eyes.

"Vader, I thought I smelled your foul stench around these halls." Anakin couldn't help but smirk. _The kid has some balls on him._ Anakin turned towards the admiral and stormtrooper keeping guard.

"Leave." He waved his hand, signaling them both to disappear. They appeased his wishes, and left without another word. He turned towards the boy, making his way over to his handcuffs. The boy did everything he could not to flinch, and Anakin felt it. He shook his head. "Don't worry boy. You're getting out of here." He inspected the cuffs. He could feel the boy's shields drop, and felt the surprise radiating off of him.

"Wh-what?" He stuttered, looking with wide blue eyes at the Sith. He took a second to compose himself and straightened his posture. "This is a trap, I don't know what trick you're trying to pull but it won't work." Anakin shook his head. He took out his lightsaber and ignited it, and with one swift motion he fried the cuffs therefore releasing the boy to be one with the Force again. The boy flinched violently, before relaxing after realizing what he had done. "Okay."

"Come on." Anakin grabbed the boy and made his way towards the door. He spun him around to face him, all the while casually leaning his shoulder against the door. "Here's what's gonna happen." The boy looked taken aback at Darth Vader's nonchalance. His intimidating yet regal eloquence was gone, and it left the boy confused. He didn't get much time to think about it before he started speaking again. "Your ship is most likely still in the hangar, I will take you nearly halfway there letting the troopers think you're my prisoner. Can you manage to get the rest of the way on your own?" The boy nodded.

"I need my lightsaber, but yes." Anakin was taken aback.

"You- You're _lightsaber?_ " He knew the kid was force sensitive but he's being trained as a Jedi? The boy nodded.

"I saw one of the troopers take it, I'm sure you know where they put them." Anakin shook himself from his thoughts. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"I do know where they are stored and I'll retrieve yours." And then Anakin did something that surprised them both. He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and handed it to the boy. The boy stared at it. "Take it. So you can defend yourself while going to the ship. I'll snag yours and meet you there." The boy cautiously took it from the Sith Lord's hand, inspecting it.

"This is weird."

"Just destroy it after you leave. I have no use for it anymore." The boy looked at him shocked. Anakin shrugged. "I'm getting out of here too." His jaw dropped.

" _You're leaving the empire?"_ He asked. He waited patiently for the boy to stop floundering. "Is that even possible? Why?" Anakin sighed and it sounded so resigned the boy couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"I was once a Jedi, serving the light side of the Force. Protecting those who needed it. I turned towards the dark side to protect the ones I loved, and it was I who ended up killing them." Anakin turned the boy around, getting him ready to look like he was a prisoner. "I have served the emperor for nearly two decades. Murdering innocents and being a slave to the dark side. I will no longer stand it. I can't quite understand my change of heart either, boy. But we don't have time to dwell over it. Let's get out of here." They made their way towards the door. The boy broke the silence.

"Your emperor is gonna be _pissed._ "

"Tell me about it."

* * *

They made their way down the corridor, passing stormtrooper after stormtrooper. Twenty minutes of tense silence, they made their way to an elevator. Anakin turned him around and shoved him in.

"Go to level 4 and that is where your ship is. I will meet you there with your lightsaber. But you must hurry." He swiftly turned around not giving the boy a second to speak and made his way to the detention center where they kept Rebel weapons and armor for inspection. He went towards the shelves with specific swords and found the lightsaber easily. Stupid clones never remembered to turn lightsabers over to him. What was once his pet peeve, was now his saving grace. He grabbed it, clipping it onto his belt and made his way towards the hangar.

"Milord!" He turned around to see the Admiral. "The prisoner as escaped!" Anakin sighed internally, but tried to wrack his brain for an idea. He was silent for a moment, and was glad to see that the admiral took it as he was mad. He took that and ran with it.

"What do you mean, he _escaped?_ " The admiral looked ready to soil himself, and he couldn't help but feel a bad. Only a little.

"I-I don't know sir he's gone. You were the last one in there I-"

"Are you accusing me of something admiral?" The admiral viciously shook his head and his face paled.

"No not-not at all milord."

"Find him." He pointed towards the opposite direction he was going. The admiral only saluted then ran towards where his gloved finger was pointing. This time, Anakin sighed. He knew they would find the boy missing but not that quickly. The one time his idiots were on top of things was of course going to be the one time he was trying to escape. He turned towards the lift and made his way to the fourth level. Once stepping off the elevator he saw stormtroopers just starting to surround the boy. He Force pushed all of the troopers and stood in front of him. He handed him his lightsaber. "Leave now. I will fend them off."

"Come with me! We can work something out with the Rebels! My mother is one of the top leaders, she'll be grateful you helped me!" Anakin shook his head.

"I do not deserve forgiveness nor do I expect the Rebels to forgive me of what I have done these years. You must go without me."

"But-" Anakin shoved him on the ship.

" _Now!"_ He forced closed the doors and turned around to see more stormtroopers heading his way. The boy at this point had started the ship, and Anakin made haste to get to his own while distracting the troopers at the same time. He didn't have a saber to deflect the shots, so he just dodged them and ran for it. He had just made it to his ship when the admiral stopped him.

 _"_ Oh Sith." He muttered. He ignored the fact he just insulted himself.

"Darth Vader! _What_ is the meaning of this?!" The admiral looked betrayed and angry but Anakin didn't care. He thought of his wife. His child. Anakin force pushed the admiral to the ground and loomed over him.

" _That is no longer who I am."_ With that, he turned around and made his way onto his own ship before flying off. It was a four day trip. Easy. He didn't hesitate to punch in the coordinates of the one planet he knew the emperor would never expect him to go to, even to escape. The one place he _never_ wanted to set foot on again.

 _Tatooine._

* * *

I closed my eyes and felt the Force swirl around me as strong as the Tatooine winds that were aggressively caressing my face.

"Leia!" My eyes snapped open as I heard my Master's voice through the wind. I turned my head towards the sound, the sand cutting at my cheeks. Ben was shielding his face from the onslaught of sand and making his way towards me. His always neatly combed strawberry blonde hair whipping around his face. He reached out and gripped my arm. "Are you insane, my child? A sandstorm is coming!" He tugged me towards our home and I quietly followed him. We made our way into the house and shut the door as soon as the wind started shrieking. Our two beloved droids made their way over to us. The golden one, Threepio, taking my cloak and scolding me in the process. The little astromech rolled over with little chirps.

"Sorry Master, I was practicing my use of the Force and I got carried away." I said with a grin. He let out a deep sigh as his eyes looked to the ceiling.

"You are your father's daughter young one." I smiled warmly at him and he returned it with one of his own. He went over to the kitchen to finishing preparing lunch for the day. I left Artoo and Threepio to their own devices "It looks like the storm is going to last through the night, so we'll postpone the rest of your lightsaber training until tomorrow." Disappointment coursed through my veins as I grabbed two bowls from the shelf.

"Why can't we just do it in here?" I placed the dishware on the little table and plopped myself down in the chair. Ben brought over the stew and placed it down before sitting himself. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh like last time?" He scooped the spoon into the stew and started filling my bowl before filling his as well. "As I recall you destroyed half of our furniture and nearly took Threepio out in the process." He fondly glanced over at the golden droid who was currently scolding Artoo about something. I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"It's not _my_ fault that he walked right into me. He should have known better." Ben chuckled at Leia's familiar attitude.

"Ah, but my young Padawan, you should have known he would do that before it happened. You should have _foreseen_ better." His eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked at me.

"I don't think that sentence was grammatically sound but I guess you're right Master." I bowed my head and continued to eat my bantha stew. He laughed once again before we ate the rest of our meal in silence. We were putting away the dishes when Threepio came into the kitchen.

"Masters, you must look on the HoloNet, for there seems to be quite the commotion in the Empire!" He said. He turned back around and made his way back into the living room. Ben and I looked toward each other and made our way to the HoloNet. The news anchor was standing in front of the Emperor's Palace chattering away urgently, but since the HoloNet had been mute we couldn't hear what she was saying. It didn't matter anyway, because that's not what caught our focus. It was what was being headlined beneath the anchor.

 _"Darth Vader has left the Empire."_

Shock pumped through my veins, and I knew Ben felt the same. I looked towards him. "Master…what's going to happen?" He didn't answer me. He stood there, stunned into silence. I gently grabbed his hand. "Uncle Ben?" That snapped him out of it. He looked at me, his eyes full of pain and through our mental link with the Force I could _feel_ his pain. I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked at him through unshed tears brought on by his grief. Why was this making him feel so miserable? He gently cupped my face, then turned away and sat us both down on the couch.

"My dear, I have to go find him." My eyes widened. "I must find him before someone else does."

"W-what? Why? I don't understand." I shook my head. Panic started swelling in my chest. Ben grabbed my hands and held them in his.

"And you're not going to for some time my Padawan. For there are things you still cannot know until the time is right." He shook his head. "Although I never expected him to leave the empire, now I am unsure of when the time is right. I must leave immediately." He stood up to gather his things but I stopped him.

"Wait! You're going to leave without me? I can't be here alone!" I cried out, looking to my Master with sheer panic. He looked at me with sad eyes.

"You are strong Leia, you have your mother's strength and your father's determination. You will be fine I promise you. I have taught you everything I know. I _must_ find him."

"But why? Why find Darth Vader? He's murdered so many people! _He_ _killed my father!"_ The hurt was evident in my voice, and I felt Ben's guilt.

"Darling, there is so much that I cannot tell you at this moment. You have to trust me." He cupped my cheek and his eyes blue eyes met mine. I closed my eyes and felt my bottom lip tremble. I would not cry.

"I trust you with my life Uncle Ben." I threw my arms around him in a rare embrace, and let my feelings flow through the Force and into him. He did the same as he held me close to him. I always knew he loved me like I was his own daughter, but it felt nice to feel it from him. He has always been so guarded with his emotions.

"I never told your father how much I loved him, how much of a brother he was to me and I will not do the same to you young one. I love you very much." He kissed the top of my head.

"I love you too Uncle Ben." I pulled away from his warm embrace. "But I understand that you have to go. Maybe if you can bring Vader to the light side he can help us save the galaxy from the emperor." My master smiled at me.

"That is my hope my Padawan."

* * *

"And then my idiot brother decided to go and _jump_ on the already spooked Eopie like the moron he is."

It has been two standard weeks since Ben left, and I finally have gotten used to his missing presence. Physically and mentally. It was weird at first to not feel him through the Force, it was unsettling and it still is but I have gotten to the point where I don't think of it nearly as much. I was walking through the market square, my arm linked with my best friend. I was pulled from my thoughts when a hand waved in front of my face.

"Hellooo Tatooine to Leia." I looked at my best friend sheepishly. We stopped walking as she turned to face me. She smirked. "You've really got to work on your listening skills Buns." She said affectionately as she poked my hair in its signature hairstyle. I rolled my eyes at her. She knew I hated her brother's annoying nickname for me.

"I _was_ listening to you. Your brother was being an idiot." We continued our walk as she chuckled and shook her head.

"Yeah, he was and ended up breaking his arm. Mother was furious. It was great." I laughed and nudged her shoulder with my own. I looked up, seeing we were close to our destination.

"Ah! Come on I found it!" I slipped my arm from her's and tugged on her elbow to speed her up. She groaned as we made our way into the shop. The little bell rang as I opened the door and rushed in eagerly. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, I had been dying to come in here when I first heard it opened a week ago. I saw who I assumed was the shop owner stocking shelves and gave him a bright smile, and he returned a tight one of his own. I couldn't _wait_ to go through everything in here.

"Remind me _why_ we are here again?" She whined as we twisted our way through the endless amounts of scrap metal. My eyes greedily took in the shiny new products on the shelves, and the ones currently being stocked.

"Because Artoo's been asking for updated thrusters." I heard her sigh behind me as I eagerly weaved my way through the shop to the shelves

"Banthashit. You're here because this is the new mech shop everyone's been talking about. You're just using that rust bucket droid of yours as an excuse." I whirled around on her, nearly knocking into the owner stocking the shelves.

"That is _not_ true! And don't talk about Artoo like that, he's been in my family forever." I turned back around towards the shelf and ran through what parts I needed for his thrusters in my head. Talia put her hands on her hips. She followed me as I walked down the aisle to the correct shelf.

"Oh yeah? Then why aren't we at Watto's where you always go?" I quickly looked over my shoulder and glowered at her. I returned to my eyes to the shelves.

"Okay _fine_ I'm curious." She chuckled and punched my shoulder.

"Told you. Now what does the rust bucket need for these thrusters." I sighed.

" _Artoo_ and I think he needs a couple other thrusterchips and probably new fuel holders for them too. I took a look at his and they look like they haven't been changed in years. It's making him more agitated." I found the fuel holder's I needed and stretched my arm as high as it could go to reach them on the top shelf. Damn my height.

"You talk as if he's a real person Lee." I rolled my eyes and ignored her. I sucked in my breath and stood on my tip toes and to no avail could I reach the stupid holders. I looked around seeing it was only me, Talia and the owner stocking the shelves a couple rows away. His head was turned away so I looked back to the holders and used the Force to grab the objects. Quickly they flew into my hands and I let out my breath.

"I really hate my height sometimes." I said as I turned back towards Talia. She smirked, before grabbing my cheeks.

"But you're oh so cute Buns! I could eat you up!" I glared at her as she continued her assault on my cheeks. My small height of 5'1 was a disadvantage in my opinion, but Master always told me it was an _advantage_. That he knew of one Jedi who was smaller than I, and the best Jedi the galaxy had seen. I shook myself from my thoughts and slapped her hands away. Making my way to the front of the store. The owner walked over as I placed the items on the counter.

"Will that be all?" His deep voice cut through the air like glass, and I quickly remembered the thrusterchips, smiling I shook my head.

"I need some thrusterchips for my droid, you have any?" He cocked his head to the side and looked around and I took the opportunity to look at him. He was talk of the town for about a week. His arrival wasn't what caused a stir. It was the scar that ran across his right eye. With his strong brows and sculpted yet hard features, he gave off a very intimidating look.

"I do, I have them somewhere around here." He walked off and towards some shelves in the back. Talia took that time to give out a quiet squeal and grab at my arm.

"He is so _handsome!_ " I looked at her with an arched brow and a smile on my face. "He looks as scary as the six pits of hell but hot none the less."

"Mm hm so I guess you'll no longer complain about going here then?" I asked and she nodded.

"I'm gonna start sabotaging your droid just so we can!" She took in my face and giggled. "I kid of course, but I think I'm starting to take a liking to the little guy." I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"You're such a user." She giggled again and quieted down once the owner walked back over with multiple thrusterchips in his hand.

"What series is your droid? I want to make sure he has the right one." He asked without looking up, shuffling around the chips.

"He's an R series." I smiled fondly at the thought of him. My little Artoo was my best friend. The man looked up and arched a brow. But before he could comment Talia beat him to it. She scoffed.

"I don't know why she doesn't scrap the poor thing, he's _ancient_. A rolling pile of scrap metal." I glared at her and smacked her shoulder.

"Leave him alone! You just said that he was growing on you!" I turned back to face the owner, who was still holding the chips but had a small smirk on his face. "He's not _that_ old but he's been in my family since before I was born." He shook his head.

"I had a droid like that too. A couple actually so I get it." He shuffled through the chips and picked two, handing them to me. I did the math in my head and placed the correct amount of credits on the counter as he wrapped up the thrusters in a bag and handed it to me. I smiled at him which he barely returned and turned to make my way out the exit.

"Thank you! You might see me around more often, my droids are too high maintenance for their own good." I smiled good naturedly and he sent me a small wave in return.

"The names Jinn." He said.

"I'm Leia and this is Talia. See you soon Jinn!" His face went slack for a second, a wave of grief hitting me, before it went away as quickly as it came. He shook himself out of whatever stupor he was in and gave a little wave again before Talia and I made our way out the store into the blinding heat under the unforgiving suns.

* * *

Anakin wiped the sweat from his brow as he put the finishing touches on the building he was renting out. News spread quickly of his arrival and the new mechanic shop he opened. As luck would have it, no one recognized him as the young Skywalker slave who ran through the town thirty years ago. He would need a new identity, but he pushed the thought aside as he made his way to the counter. No one has asked his name yet, no one has approached him yet. There's no need to worry about it until someone has the courage to look him in the eye. He rolled his eyes as he wiped down the counter. _Honestly, am I that terrifying?_ Maybe as Darth Vader, but no one here knew he had once lived in that cursed suit that Palpatine had insisted on to keep his anonymity. He's been open for about a week now, and a couple people trickled in here and there, but everyone still managed to avoid him in his own shop. Only mumbling a thanks as they traded product for credits. That reminded him.

He looked over at the products that had just been shipped, and ran a hand through his hair. _Better get on that._ He picked up the boxes and put them in front of the shelf, picking up certain parts and putting them in the assigned bins he spent hours making. About an hour into his work, he heard the bell ring. He turned around to see two young human girls walking in. The taller one looked as though she'd rather be in the six pits of hell than be in here, and the other…

 _Padme_

The young girl had the same brown hair, same stature as his once beloved. Her golden-brown eyes roamed the store in delight before landing on his own cerulean ones. She gave him such an exuberant smile that reminded him so much of her's that he lost his breath. Not to be rude at potential customers, he returned it as best he could and turned around. He shoved the thought of his late wife out of his mind.

"Remind me _why_ we are here again?" He knew this to be the taller one solely because she had looked miserable to begin with. He heard a heavy sigh.

"Because Artoo's been asking for updated thrusters." His heartbeat increased at the familiar nickname of his beloved droid. He wondered for many years where that droid had gone, along with C3-PO but he figured they would have long perished by now. No one to upkeep them. Could she have his astromech droid? Why would she though? She's on Tatooine, not a pilot. He pushed the thought of the possibility of his droid still being around. He continued stocking as he unabashedly listened to their conversation as they made their way nearly right next to him.

"Banthashit. You're here because this is the new mech shop everyone's been talking about. You're just using that rust bucket droid of yours as an excuse." The girl spun around so fast, Anakin had to step to the side before she knocked them both to the ground. His eyebrows scrunched at how quick she had moved. _Could she?_ He didn't have time to finish his thought before he heard the girl retort.

"That is _not_ true! And don't talk about Artoo like that, he's been in my family forever." The two girls made their way to another shelf a couple aisles down, and Anakin slightly turned his head towards them as he continued stocking.

"Oh yeah? Then why aren't we at Watto's where you always go?" Anakin grimaced at the name of his former owner. _That old rag is still alive?_

"Okay _fine_ I'm curious." The shorter girl replied.

"Told you. Now what does the rust bucket need for these thrusters." Anakin could feel a shimmer of annoyance from the shorter girl. But it quickly dissipated.

" _Artoo_ and I think he needs a couple other thrusterchips and probably new fuel holders for them too. I took a look at his and they look like they haven't been changed in twenty years. It's making him more agitated." Anakin smiled, seems like she really cared for the little droid. He quickly looked at her in his peripheral and noticed her trying to reach some fuel holders on the top shelf.

"You talk as if he's a real person Lee." He heard the girl give an annoyed grunt and saw she started looking around the store. Anakin was about to suspect her of stealing when he all of a sudden felt the Force swirl around him. He very subtly looked over just in time to see a holder fly into her awaiting hands. His mind blanked as he whirled his head back around. _She's Force sensitive? She's Force sensitive and learned how to shield it?_ His mind wouldn't slow down.

"I really hate my height sometimes." She said. Anakin turned around to see her friend jump at her and grab her cheeks.

"But you're oh so cute Buns! I could eat you up!" The girl swatted her hands away as her faced turned red from what he assumed was embarrassment. He wouldn't know though; her shields were up again. They both made their way to the counter, so Anakin followed suit.

"Will that be all?" He asked. He tried not to look at her much, as she reminded him of what he had lost.

"I need some thrusterchips for my droid, you have any?" She asked, a soft smile on her face. He pushed away the pain from seeing the hauntingly familiar smile. The smile of a woman whenever she spoke of politics, or listening to a story her handmaiden was telling her.

"I do, I have them somewhere around here." _Sith where did I put those?_ Anakin looked around the store before he spotted them. He walked off, and felt the taller girl's surge of excitement. He ignored it and made his way through the thrusterchips, picking a couple. He figured the droid would be an R series considering the nickname, but he brought a couple others just in case. He walked back over and the taller girl quieted down.

"What series is your droid? I want to make sure he has the right one." He asked without looking up. He didn't want to see his wife's eyes.

"He's an R series." _So he was right_. He raised an eyebrow and this time he looked up. But before he could comment the taller girl beat him to it. She scoffed.

"I don't know why she doesn't scrap the poor thing, he's _ancient_. A rolling pile of scrap metal." Anakin could sense the playfulness that came off the girl. Clearly she enjoyed ruffling her friends feathers, and he was proven correct as she lightly slapped the taller girl.

"Leave him alone! You just said that he was growing on you!" Anakin couldn't help but smile a little. Reminded him of how he defended his own little Artoo against Obi Wan. The girl turned towards him with a sheepish smile.

"He's not _that_ old but he's been in my family since before I was born." Anakin shook his head.

"I had a droid like that too. A couple actually so I get it." He looked through the chips and picked two, handing them to the young girl. She placed credits on the counter as Anakin wrapped the holders and handed them over to her. She gave him another smile which he only just managed to return. "Thank you! You might see me around more often, my droids are too high maintenance for their own good." Her eyes crinkled slightly as she gave him a much different smile this time, more crooked and mischievous. He just waved instead. He needed to think of a name, and quick.

"The names Jinn." He said. He could have done better, but being on this planet reminded him of memories of when he was younger.

"I'm Leia and this is Talia. See you soon Jinn!" Anakin could feel his composure drop as his heart stuttered at the name. He memory ran though his memory.

 _"Luke. That's the name I want for our son. Luke Skywalker." His wife had said as he embraced her from behind, his arms encircling protectively over her swollen stomach. He kissed the side of her neck, before resting his head on her shoulder as they looked out towards nightlife of the city._

 _"Well when it's a girl, I think we should name her Leia. For it's a name as beautiful and strong as she will be, just like her mother." He felt Padme huff in playful annoyance at his suggestion of the baby being a girl. But she smiled nonetheless._

 _"Leia Skywalker. That's beautiful." She agreed. "And for our next baby, a great name it'll be." Anakin rolled his eyes and let the gently smile spread across his features._

 _"Leia Amidala Skywalker." Padme turned around in his arms, her face showing surprise. Anakin could feel the love and pride surrounding her. He knew she loved it as much as he. She fully turned towards him and snaked her arms around his waist._

 _"Luke Anakin Skywalker then." Anakin's face contorted, his nose wrinkling. Padme laughed then. "Yeah that doesn't flow." He smirked._

 _"I appreciate it though. What about Luke Obi Wan Skywalker?" They both thought it over._

 _"That…as weird as it sounds…fits." She finally said. "It's not like anyone will actually speak his middle name." And he agreed._

 _"He'll probably hate us in the future for it, but at least it was after one of the strongest and most influential men I know." Padme buried her head in his chest._

 _"He'll cherish it solely because of that."_

Anakin shook himself out of his memory, and just sent a small wave to the two girls as they made their way out of his store.

* * *

Talia was sitting on my couch as I was installing Artoo's new thrusterchip and fuel holders.

"Lee did you see his eyes? They were breathtaking, they were the bluest blue I've ever seen! And his _hair_ …" She moaned and stuffed her face in a pillow. I rolled my eyes.

"Honestly Talia he looked to be about forty." She scoffed.

"Thirty five at most." She countered, I shook my head.

"Either way, he's old enough to be your father." She shrugged.

"You gotta admit he's cute. Even if you're not attracted to him, he's cute." I nodded.

"Yes," I focused on making sure I didn't over screw the bolt in Artoo's thruster. "He's certainly a looker." And he was, but I didn't share the same reaction the Talia does. He seemed like a nice man, a person I could find myself conversating with. It seemed weird to think of him in any other way. Even for Talia to be thinking of him like that. I finished up with Artoo, and wiped the grease on a rag. I smiled as the little droid beeped excitedly and started using his thrusters, floating in the air. He landed and rolled over to me. I laughed and pet his dome.

"Leia when is Ben coming back?" Talia asked, and I looked to her and shrugged.

"He didn't say, he just said he may be gone a long time." I replied. She looked at me for a second before replying.

"Seems weird that he'd be going away on just business for that long." I sighed, Talia can be ditzy at times, but she's not stupid.

"I can't say what he's doing, he swore me to secrecy." I said, and she looked at me and smiled.

"I get it, I wish you could though, I like being in the know." I laughed and sat next to her on the couch. I turned on the HoloNet, Vader's black mask popping up. We both stilled.

 _"There is no news yet on the sudden disappearance of Darth Vader, but a bounty has been placed on his head for his death in defying and betraying the Empire…"_

Leia swallowed thickly. Is that why Ben left? To kill him? I know our money is tight but I didn't think it was _that_ bad. We had enough to live in this comfortable home, but the more I thought, the more I realized how long the funds would last with Ben gone. He usually took odd jobs here and there on different moisture farms. He was strong for being in his fifties and so he made good money and was always in demand. But he's not here now.

"I think I need to get a job Talia." I said, she took her eyes off the screen and looked towards me. I looked back at her. "With Uncle Ben gone how am I gonna continue paying the rent for here? For food? For other necessities?"

"But I thought Ben left money with you." I nodded.

"He did, and it hasn't depleted yet but I don't know how long he will be gone. We have enough to last until the end of the month I believe." She nodded.

"Have you thought where you'd want to work?" I shook my head.

"It's only a thought. I don't have to get one right now, it'd just be a precautionary measure until Uncle Ben returns home. I'll cross that bridge when I get there." As we sat there, I couldn't but worry over Uncle Ben. Was he okay? Why hadn't he contacted me yet? I wanted to contact him, but he gave me strict order's to do no such thing. He would contact me first when it was safe. I turned my attention back towards the HoloNet, biting my cheek nervously. I pray to the Force he's okay.

We sat in silence the rest of the night, watching the Imperial news station with distaste.


	2. Truth

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, but I wanted to make sure it was PERFECT before I did. I struggled with how to go about it, knowing what I wanted just not sure how to go about writing it. Ya feel? So I wrote this chapter like four different ways before settling on this. I wanted more Jinn/Leia interactions but it just didn't flow with the timeline. You'll see what I mean.**

 **Also, I was trying to hold off posting until I found a Beta, but unfortunately I haven't received any responses from the Betas I contacted. So if anyone is interested in being a Beta for this story or knows a Beta PLEASSEEE send them my way or let me know. I'll be forever in your debt.**

 **I can assure you guys that I have multiple chapters written, so the wait shouldn't be this long anymore. I don't know why the second chapter is always the hardest to write for me, but it is. I think you'll enjoy it though. Please leave a review! I would love to know your likes and dislikes. It's important for me to know if the characters are being portrayed correct, and its important for to to make sure you guys actually enjoy the story. So if there is something you think is amiss, or that I need to correct to not hesitate to leave a review, or PM me. My inbox is ALWAYS open, and I love suggestions! Thanks everyone! Please enjoy :)**

* * *

A two more weeks has passed since Uncle Ben left Tatooine in search of Darth Vader. Money is running low, and Artoo is yet again in need of another upgrade. I've gone to rationing off my food and splitting what money I have left to pay for the bare necessities.

I had spent the last few weeks making my rounds around the market and farmlands searching for a job but with no luck. No one was in need of another worker. Moisture farms aren't in season so there's no need for help, and besides, they'd be crazy to hire a 5'1 sixteen year old. I may be young and strong, but I was too short to do much heavy lifting above my head. I could lift it, sure, but I wouldn't be able to reach anything.

My expression soured. I haven't heard from Uncle Ben and was worried sick, he promised he'd contact me as soon as he was available to do so but still. A month. My stomach growling broke me from my thoughts, and I put a hand over my stomach. I couldn't eat until later tonight. Especially if I wanted my food to last. I looked at the chrono, and saw I was meeting Talia in the market soon. I might as well get there a little early to distract myself from the hunger.

I bid Threepio and Artoo a goodbye, and made my way throughout the market. I looked over at the children playing in the square during their recess. I sighed to myself. I missed school, I absolutely loved learning. But Tatooine had a poor education system, so I stopped classes two standard years ago. Uncle Ben always taught me as much as I could, and the rest I learned from datapads. It still wasn't enough.

"You're looking glum." I jumped slightly at the sudden voice coming from beside me. I turned my head over, a sarcastic remark on the tip of my tongue, and saw Jinn standing next to me holding a Wyykmelon in his hand. I held in my surprise at the fact he was the one initiating conversation for once. I bit back a smile. Determined to be friends with the seemingly lonely man, whenever I bumped into him at the market I didn't leave him alone until he spoke a few words to me. Looks like my diligence has paid off.

"I was just thinking about when I was in school." He nodded as he tucked the melon underneath his arm.

"Ah, yes. The good ole' Tatooine education." He replied sarcastically as he followed my gaze over to where the children of all species were out playing with one another. "You sound like you miss it." I sighed a little, trying not to look as depressed as I feel.

"I do honestly. I loved learning." I smiled as I answered him. "Almost as much as I love fixing up stuff."

"But not quite as much?" He asked in a teasing manner. My grin widened.

"Not quite." We were interrupted as an old Twi'lek lady accidentally bumped into Jinn. Startled, she let out a gasp as she dropped the basket she was carrying. Jinn bent down to pick it up for her but with speed neither of us expected an old lady to have, she scooped it up as she begged for apologies before scurrying off. We silently watched her leave until I heard Jinn let out a little sigh of defeat.

"All I do is _blink_ and I still manage to scare people off." He said it in a light and joking tone, but I could hear the sadness underneath it. I looked up at him with a little smile.

"Maybe if you didn't stare people down like you do." I trailed off. "A smile does wonder's you know." I grinned wryly as Jinn looked down and raised an eyebrow, a mock glare on his face.

"That's no way to speak to your elder, young one." I couldn't help the smirk that spread across my face.

"Rules are meant to be broken." He barked out a laugh before shaking his head.

"Where have I heard that before?" Before I could continue the light banter, a panicked voice called out to me.

"Leia!" Jinn and I turned our heads to see Talia running up to us. She stopped in front of us, breathing heavily, and had a frantic look on her face. I looked at the holowatch on my wrist before turning back to her. I wasn't even close to late, so what was she worried about?

"Talia whats-"

"I was a couple streets away! At-at old Hannah's grocery store and a kid! A kid- a droid!" She grabbed Jinn and I's hands and dragged us in the direction she ran from. I tripped over my own feet from the sudden movement and felt Jinn quickly grip my shoulder with his free hand to steady me. The gloved hand on my shoulder felt hard and angular, the grip almost hurting. But as soon as it had landed on me, it disappeared. We turned the corner, and what we saw stopped us both in our tracks.

Before us was a child, no older than five, being strangled by a silver protocol droid. The little Er'Kit girl was choking out sobs, her gray skin turning paler and paler as she was losing breath. I immediately ran behind the droid while Jinn tried prying the girl from the droid's clutches. I opened the back trapdoor on the droid trying to find the correct wires to restart it.

"Turn it off!" Jinn shouted as he tried ripping the fingers from the girl's neck.

"I can't! If I just shut it off it'll still be choking her! I have to rewire it!" I yelled back as I was moving wire after wire trying to find the reboot wire. The girl's face was going slack and her struggling started to turn into sluggish movements. Talia could only try to sooth the girl, hoping that she could be of some comfort in case it was the child's last moments. Jinn was still trying in vain to remove the protocol droids hands. His frustration slowly turned into downright fear as the girl slowly stopped struggling. Not good.

"Hurry!"

"I am!"

"She's dying Leia!"

 _"I know!"_ At that moment, the blue wire I had plugged next to the yellow one sparked, and the droid dropped the girl. Before she could fall, Jinn had caught her and held her against his chest as she was gasping for breath and crying at the same time. One arm on her middle back kept her hoisted against him and the other cradled the back of her head gently, as if on instinct. I immediately shut the droid off. I fully turned towards Jinn, to see the girl clutching his tunic as she was gasping for air, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Jinn looked uncomfortable but gently stroked a gloved hand through her hair, trying to sooth her. He stopped to slowly check over her for further injuries, probing her throat, as well as making sure she could breathe properly. His trained blue eyes scanned over the girl as Talia backed up the cluster of people that had gathered around. I looked over the droid to figure out what the kriff happened. Jinn was in the middle of trying to ask the girl simple questions and wipe her tears to calm her when a frantic call interrupted us.

"Kiani!" We turned to see an Er'Kit woman sprinting towards us.

"Mommy!" Jinn forgotten, she stretched out her arms while he gladly passed her off to the woman. She clutched her mother as the mother tried checking her over. She looked from the droid to us, panic etched on her face.

"What happened?" Her voice was shaking.

"The droid was strangling her, we had to reboot it and shut it down." I said calmly. I looked towards the little girl, who was still crying loudly. I sent calming waves to her through the Force, slowly watching as her sobbing turned to smaller cries. Her eyelids started to droop.

"No! Our droid would never do that! I-I don't understand! I only went into the store for a minute." The young woman looked down in anguish, "I can't imagine what would have happened if I had lost her." I went to comfort her but surprisingly, Jinn beat me to it. He rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It's the worst feeling anyone could experience. But she's here, and she's alive. That's what matters." Jinn's face was a stoney, impassive expression, but his voice held a slight strain to it. I processed his words, and put them away in the back of my mind to think about later. "The only thing you can do is learn from it. The droid is reprogrammed so it shouldn't be a problem now. Although she might be scared of it for a while. Not that I blame her." She clutched her child, who was now asleep, and nodded into her head.

"Thank you, thank you both so much. I owe you my life, for saving her's. Thank you." She said. We both smiled.

"I must be going," She said as she looked past us. "I didn't realize the time. Thank you! Thank you for everything." With that, she turned around with her sleeping child and jogged off. Talia was still dealing with the crowd while I looked over to Jinn sadly, not flinching when his sharp blue eyes snapped over to me.

"Jinn?" His face expressed anger. His jaw tight and his nostrils flared, but his eyes showed a completely different emotion, and it tore me through my core.

 _Grief._

"Good job today kid." He murmured quietly before turning on his heel and walking off. Talia walked over and we shared a look before watching his retreating figure waver like a mirage from the hot suns.

"What a day." Talia said as she slumped into the booth across from me. "I'm so dead."

"Tell me about it." I grabbed a menu, scanning over the specials as we waited for the serving droid.

"What was up with Jinn? He took off pretty quickly." She asked. The droid came up, and we placed our drink and food orders. I answered as soon as the droid left.

"He made a comment that caught my attention." I said thoughtfully as I stared out at the rest of the cantina. "When the woman mentioned losing her daughter, he said it was the worst feeling in the world." Talia's face went slack.

"As if he knew what it was like." She said sadly.

"Yeah." I sighed. We were quiet for a moment.

"He's alone here, could he have…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish. I did for her.

"Lost his whole family? It looks like it." She made a sad noise in the back of her throat, but before she could answer, the droid came up with our food and drinks. We quietly dug into our dinner.

Jinn and I were far from friends, but we bumped into each other enough times throughout the month that we were hardly strangers. I took an immediate liking to the man, sensing he was good, and found his humor- which was as dry as the kriffing planet we live on- enjoyable. In turn, he hasn't shooed me away whenever I forced him into conversations at the market, so he must at least find me _somewhat_ tolerable. He seems like the kind of man who will give you the boot if you bother him.

"Maybe that's why he's so rough around the edges? It seems like he's a really nice guy but just under all those layers. Like he's guarded." I nodded.

"Definitely guarded." I poked at my vegetables before shoving a forkful into my mouth. Talia was chewing thoughtfully, before she spoke up.

"Why is it always the cute ones that have serious emotional baggage?"

* * *

I laid on the couch, nearly bored to tears. There was _nothing_ to do on this stupid planet. I looked around the spotless room, and saw Threepio and Artoo shut down in the corner. I sighed. Talia was with her family for the day, as her brother came by to visit before he had to leave again. So hanging out with her was out of the question. I jumped off the couch, and exited the hut deciding to go to the market for some fresh air. I walked around for a good half hour, lost in my thoughts.

I kicked my toe in the sand, unsettling it, watching the particles of dread float around in the air before settling down again. Distracted in my thoughts, I came to a stop as I reached the mech shop. I looked up in surprise, I hadn't realized I walked myself here. I only saw him a couple days ago, when we saved that girl. I lingered outside the store, wondering if I he'd be upset at seeing me due to the recent events that transpired with the little girl.

I broke myself from my thoughts and look at the door hesitantly. Artoo _was_ due for another upgrade. I bit my lip. I certainly didn't have the funds, but looking around wouldn't hurt. I made my way into the store, feeling the cool air circle around me, and heard the little ring of the bell that notified Jinn of my arrival. I looked around, seeing the store empty. _Where was he?_

"Come to harass your elder a little more?" I shrieked as I heard the teasing sarcasm drip from the cool voice behind me and spun around. Jinn leaned back slightly, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "A little louder please, I don't think Imperial Center heard you." My face burned with embarrassment, and Jinn watched on in a quiet amusement as my mouth opened and closed, trying to form words.

"You- You can't sneak up on people like that!" I pretended not to notice my voice was raised an octave higher than normal for the sake of what little remained of my pride.

"You walked into _my store._ "

"That doesn't mean you hide behind me!"

"I was actually already here stocking the shelf before you marched on in like you owned the place, little one." I scowled.

"I'm sixteen."

"And I'm thirty eight," Jinn leaned forward. " _Little one."_ I rolled my eyes before I strode past him, looking around the store for holoprojectors. Jinn went off to finish whatever he was doing while I slinked around.

"Do you sell already made holoprojectors? Or just the parts to construct them?" I asked after a couple minutes. Jinn looked up from the little droid head in his hands.

"As of right now I only have the parts, but I can order full holoprojectors for you if you want." I nodded, trying to figure out if I even had the funds for a holoprojector right now. Maybe constructing it myself might be cheaper?

"How much would it cost to order and purchase the full holoprojectors?" I asked somewhat timidly. I wouldn't let my pride get hurt over the fact I'm nearly broke. Either Jinn didn't seem to notice, or he just didn't care. He walked over and slightly hovered behind me.

"It would be around 250 credits." My stomach dropped. _I don't even think I_ have _250 credits._ "To just construct it yourself with the parts I have here would probably be around 100." I sighed, I don't really know what I was expecting. Astromechs, droids in general, are expensive to maintain. Jinn seemed to notice my hesitation. "I can give you the parts you need for 70, but I can't go much lower than that." I smiled lightly.

"I appreciate that, really I do. But I was just looking around, I don't need the parts just yet." Lie. "I was just seeing if you had them for when I do." If Jinn caught my lie, he didn't say anything. He only nodded, and we stood there in an awkward silence before I started to nervously play with the leather string of my necklace, which was still tucked into my shirt, desperately trying to think of something to say. Jinn ended up beating me to it.

"If you want, you can always bring your droid in here and I'll take a look-" He cut himself off as he looked at the top of my chest. "Wh-where did you get that?" His eyes hardened slightly as he took in my pendant, the previous conversation was soon forgotten. I looked down at the string in my hand, noticing the necklace had untucked itself due to me playing with the string. I looked back at him in mild surprise. He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving the piece of wood.

He gently took it from my fingers and held it, turning it around, like it was made of glass.

"Leia, _where_ did you get this?" His tone was breathless as I saw his thumb run over the initials. It was the first time he said my name, and not little one, or kid.

"It was my mother's." I said sadly, "My father gave it to her when they first met. And when she died my uncle kept it for safe keeping until he thought I was old enough. Have you seen one like it or something?" I asked, confused by the pained look in his eyes. He was quiet, but he looked back up at me with wide eyes that were rapidly looking back and forth on my face. It was the most expression I've seen on him since I met him, his eyes nearly brimming with tears. I was scared by the emotion, not even Uncle Ben had looked at me like this when we had heart to heart talks. Jinn's hand lightly rose up and gently rested on my cheek. _What?_ I was frozen in place, too shocked to step back and remove his hand from me. It was then I realized, with even more shock, that _I didn't want to._

" _Leia."_ It was barely a whisper and if I hadn't been so close to him I wouldn't have heard it. The warmth, and conviction in his voice caught me off guard. My chest felt like it was swelling with a warm coziness, about to explode at the comfort that came from his voice and his touch. It was a similar feeling to when Uncle Ben would give me a hug, on those rare occasions.

"Uh, Jinn are you okay? Jinn?" I placed a hand on his shoulder. We stayed frozen in that position for another moment before he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, but had a strange look in his eyes. He let go of my face, though his other hand still held the pendant.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Now, he let go of the pendant. "Sorry, I've seen a similar one." I nodded after he answered my earlier question. A strange reaction, a _really_ strange reaction that should have me questioning him, but Jinn didn't seem like the average fellow anyway. I decided to brush off the really weird exchange, figuring it just brought up old memories for him. Though I couldn't ignore the change of atmosphere. Something happened, something big, but I had a feeling it wasn't my place to question it. So I didn't. He took a step back, but he didn't break eye contact with me.

"Okay, well, I might take you up on your offer to bring Artoo in if you don't mind. But it won't be for a couple of weeks, is that okay?" Jinn, still in a slightly weird state, only nodded.

"Okay! Uh, bye… Jinn." I waved and he returned it lamely before I hastily turned around to make my way out, still confused over the weird interaction. I pressed my hand against the pendant I had quickly hidden beneath my tunic and let out a breath. I felt bad for Jinn, whatever happened to him, to have that kind of reaction…it must have been terrible. I looked down at the ground a deep sadness filling my very being, it was then that I realized that my theory about his past was correct. The look on his face spoke volumes, because it was a look that graced Uncle Ben's when something reminds him of my parents.

It was as if he's lost someone he loved too.

* * *

"Wh-where did you get that?"

Anakin felt as though someone was Force choking him, as he stared at the Japor snippet hanging around the girl's neck. The girl seemed caught off guard at the random question, but Anakin continued to press as his shock grew. "Leia, _where_ did you get this?" He felt the memories of his beloved slam into his mind, one after another, and another, and another. It was endless. Leia looked to him, somewhat stunned.

"It was my mother's. My father gave it to her when they first met. And when she died my uncle kept it for safe keeping until he thought I was old enough. Have you seen one like it or something?" No. _How is this possible?_ Anakin felt as though his chest would explode. It looked exactly like the one he had given Padme. To the exact same engravings. _There was only one way to find out._ He slowly flipped it over in his hands, holding in a choked sob as he let his fingers glide over the initials he had engraved during their wedding. This was hers. For the woman he ended up killing, the child he ended up killing. It didn't make sense. _She died, their baby died!_ His mind stuttered, the ghost of a thought haunting to the back of his mind. _What if their baby didn't?_ It was then her words had registered. It belonged to her mother. _Her mother. Padme?_ It all made sense now. Her smile, her eyes, her compassion…it was all Padme. Through and through, with traces of his own mother as well. Her recklessness, her need to protect others, her attitude…was all… _him._ This was his child. This was his and Padme's child.

In a matter of a split second, his confusion and hurt melted away. This was their baby. Their daughter. This was his little girl. He looked to the eyes that mirrored her mother's, and without hesitating, he reached his hand up to slowly rest it gently upon her face as if it were proof that she was real. His daughter. His brave and beautiful daughter. He wanted to sob and laugh and just hold her close to him for all of eternity. Never let her go.

" _Leia."_ The name he had chosen for her. The daughter he was so convinced they were having. The only way she could have been named was if Padme had done it. Which means she had lasted long enough to birth her. Which means Palpatine lied. He pushed that thought away. He wouldn't waste his time being angry right now. He had the most precious thing in all of the galaxy standing before him. The product of his and Padme's eternal love. His daughter. A missing piece of his life, someone he thought he lost forever had been introduced to him little over a month ago, and he had no idea.

"Uh, Jinn are you okay? Jinn?" Anakin distantly heard her call, but found himself unable to respond. It was only when he started to really feel her confusion through the Force that he blinked out of his stupor. He quickly let go of her face, mildly embarrassed he lost control of himself like that. The last thing he needed was his daughter to think he was some creepy old man.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I've seen a similar one." He muttered as he her words registered. Anakin reluctantly let go of the Japor snippet. Leia continued to talk, but Anakin barely registered anything she was saying. He only nodded slightly when she was done talking. She smiled softly at him, and Anakin nearly closed his eyes in pain so as to not see Padme. He felt Leia move around before speaking hesitantly.

"Okay! Uh bye… Jinn." She waved one last time, which Anakin meekly returned. As soon as she had left, Anakin sat on the ground before he passed out. After what felt like hours, Anakin recollected himself. The feeling of shock was slowly starting to wane, and he became deep in thought.

"Oh Padme," Anakin felt the tears well up in his eyes. "Our daughter…she's alive. What am I gonna do?" He sat quietly, wishing his wife were here to place a loving hand upon his shoulder and give him her words of wisdom. But she wasn't, and he needed to figure it out himself.

He knew he wasn't going to let her go again, he wouldn't lose her like he lost her mother. But she clearly doesn't know about him because she said her mother is dead, and she said she lives with her uncle. Anakin stilled. Her… _uncle?_ Anakin raked a hand through his hair again. _Obi-Wan?_ It would only make sense, he was the last person he saw with Padme, and Leia is a trained Force sensitive. Maybe not a Jedi, but she was definitely taught how to wield the Force.

Anakin no longer felt hatred towards his old Master like he did a long ago. If anything, he felt ashamed at how he acted. Like a petulant child who didn't get his way. Only he murdered people during his temper tantrums. Obi would never forgive him, nor let him near Leia, especially after the events on Mustafar. He had sensed Leia's love for Obi, and knew that they were close. He could only assume his old Master felt the same way about her since he evidently raised her since the day she was born.

Gratitude washed over Anakin like a gentle blanket. Remembering Obi Wan, there was no doubt in his mind that his daughter was raised with nothing but love. She grew up loved and was protected. _Protected from him._ His heart absolutely shattered at the thought. She never mentioned if her father was alive, so he could only hope his Master told her he died. He would rather her think him to be dead, than to go to bed at night terrified of the possibility that Darth Vader would kidnap her if he found her. Anakin didn't believe he would have. If the visions hadn't brought him to the light, knowing Leia was alive most certainly would have.

This means Obi couldn't know he was here. He thought back to his earlier conversation with Leia, she mentioned her Uncle was gone. Obi himself wasn't here, which meant he no doubt left to go find Anakin. To kill him? He shook himself from his thoughts. He would deal with that when it came to it. As of right now, Leia was his number one priority. Obi certainly wasn't here, so he was going to watch over her while he was gone. He was going to watch over her until his last breath. He wouldn't let her grow up any more without her father. He thought over giving her a job here at the shop. She was clearly starving, much to Anakin's dismay. And if she was anything like her parents, she was much too prideful to ask for help. A fault both he and Padme had. He mulled over in his head the money the shop was bringing in. It would be enough, but barely. But he didn't have a choice. He wouldn't let his daughter starve to death.

If only he could dip into his old account. The money he accumulated during his time as a Jedi was most certainly untouched. He never spent it; Padme had her own money and he grew up a slave then raised a Jedi. He had little possessions. He thought about his money in the empire, and he could probably get to that but he wasn't sure he wanted that money. It was blood money. He shook his head. _No. That money was earned by murder and destruction._ He wouldn't spend it. Let it sit there for the rest of eternity for all he cared.

Anakin only moved to bring himself to his apartment above the shop. He spent the remainder of the day thinking, and eventually had come up with a plan. He would hire Leia the next time she came and give her a substantial salary so she could feed herself while Obi-Wan was gone. He figured she knew her way around machines considering she fixed up her droid (which now he was certain was his own Artoo) and plus she was his blood so that automatically made her good at mechanics.

With the salary he planned on giving her, he prepared himself to go to bed hungry most nights until business picked up, but he didn't mind. He didn't care if his funds were low. He'd give her everything, even the clothes off his back if it came to it. He smiled, it was amazing to him, how quickly his feelings towards the girl changed in a matter of seconds. Upon meeting, he had liked the girl. She was kind and she didn't cause trouble so he figured if she became a regular he could deal with it. Maybe even have good conversation with her. He instantly took her to be a good kid, and wouldn't have minded her company. She was brave, she didn't cower slightly talking to him like most people. Even if she wasn't his daughter, he probably would have ended up giving her a job anyway.

But as soon as he had realized her true parentage, it was a like a star went super nova in his heart. When he looked in her eyes as her father for the first time, he knew he loved her with all his being. In that moment, he knew that everything he had would be hers, for all eternity.

"I won't let her down Padme. I'll do right by her, I swear to you. I won't fail her like I failed you." Anakin promised. This was a promise he intended to keep, even if it killed him.


	3. Reconnected

**Hey everyone! Sorry to take so fucking long on this chapter. It took a while to write, edit, proof read, edit again, scrap, rewrite, edit, and etc. I just want y'all to know, I will NEVER EVER EVER hold this story hostage for reviews. So when an update takes a long time, that's just me being a dipshit. I don't believe in not posting an update until I get a certain amount of reviews. I'm sorry if you do that, no offense, it makes me lose incentive to leave a review on your story if you do it. Thus, this story is just slow to update because I am trying to make sure the chapter is PERFECT. Not because I'm not getting reviews. I understand. Sometimes, it's late at night and you don't feel like taking the time to write out a review. I get like that too!**

 **So, this chapter hops a little bit. There's a couple different scenes but I am trying to wrap up the first few intro chapters so we can get to the good stuff. But I also want to take time on it and not make it like...Leia meets Jinn the first chapter then BAM! the third chapter they're living happily ever after. It'll be quick paced but hopefully not unrealistic. If it is, PLEASE do let me know. Also, HUGE thanks to skywalkerchosenone for letting me blow up your inbox with questions and shit on this chapter. Your input was a ginormous help and really influenced this chapter and hopefully the future ones!**

 **Alrighty, enough of my chatting, here's the story! Enjoy 3**

The next couple of days after my interaction with Jinn flew by fast. I had kept busy, hanging out with Talia and helping her mother around their house. Fixing stuff that needed to be fix and even learning a couple recipes from her. When I wasn't over there, I was at the crummy Tatooine archives pouring over every datapad I could find. I think I've read more than half of the datapads in the library.

I was currently watching the news, having not heard anything about Vader. He was still MIA with a large contract still on him, the Empire would not rest until the traitor was found, but I had heard whispers of where he could be. Many people thought he would stick to the Outer Rim, close to wild space. Some thought he would hide on Imperial Center, in plain sight. I didn't have any idea, nor did I really care. I only cared that Ben would come back safely.

"Miss Skywalker I do require your attention for a moment." My eyes peeled away from the screen and landed on the golden droid.

"What's up Threepio?" Said droid waddled over.

"R2-D2 cannot go much longer without those Holoprojectors. I do say he will drive me to insanity if I have to keep hearing about it." I sighed. I chose not to point out that he was only a droid and count really go insane.

"I can't just shut him down Three." I got up and walked over to the little astromech droid that was tweeting indigently behind him. "Yes, I hear you Artooie I know it's not fair." I patted his dome. "Fine, I'll take you to Jinn's today, we'll get you fixed up. I'm sure he'll let me pay him back over time."

"Thank goodness because I don't think I could take another second of that little rust buckets complaining." Threepio said. With that, he promptly left the livening room and made his way to the kitchen. Artoo and I silently watched him, until he made an in inquisitive beep, his dome spinning to me.

"Yeah let's go now, we still have some daylight left." I took my hand off his dome and grabbed my boots next to the door. "Come on Artoo." We made our way out, and Artoo stayed on my heels as we made our way through the market. My eyes landed on the store, and a smile stretched across my face. "Here we are Artoo." We went in, and I relished in the cool air that blasted my face. I looked around to see Jinn look up at the sound of the bell. I gave him a wide smile.

"Hey Leia." He said simply before looking down at my feet. A smile I had never seen before stretched across his face. "Hello my friend." Before I could move, Artoo let out an excited squeal and starting beeping so fast I couldn't keep up with what he was saying. My binary was good, but not _that_ good. Without warning, he shot forward right past my legs.

"Artooie no!" But he didn't listen. He slammed into Jinn's knees, nearly making him topple over. I rushed over, worried that Artoo's strange behavior would anger him, but to my surprise he only laughed. He kneeled, and patted Artoo's dome fondly. "I'm sorry Jinn, I don't know what's gotten into him." I sputtered, trying to explain, but Jinn only waved me off.

"It's alright Leia, it just seems to be his programming." The astromech was about to interrupt but Jinn lightly slapped a hand on Artoo's dome effectively cutting him off. "It's only his programming." He sent a look Artoo's way, and the droid kept quiet. I looked on confused.

"But his programming is fine! I check over it myself, it's his holoprojector that I need to fix." Jinn nodded.

"Okay, I'll quickly look at him then and see what I can do." Jinn motioned for me to follow, and we made our way to the back of the store, Artoo hot on Jinn's heels. I would question the little astromech about that later. Jinn kneeled in front of Artoo, and started looking over him. I knew I had to inform Jinn of my situation before he could do work on him. So, I swallowed my pride and stepped forward.

"Uh, Jinn before you start, I-um, I-don't really have- "Jinn waved me off before speaking.

"Don't worry about that. We can work something out." He shut Artoo down, and took off his dome and got to work. He continued to talk as he focused on the astromech. "I saw how you handled that protocol droid last week. And it got me thinking. I need an extra hand around here since more and more people are coming in for help. Whaddya say you help me out? You can work the first few days for free in exchange for the holoprojector on Artoo here." I felt my jaw go slack and my eyes go wide. Jinn looked up, and smiled a little at my expression. He waited patiently while I tried to gather my bearings.

"You-you want to hire me?" I asked quietly. I couldn't believe my luck. I got a job, and it was a job that I'd enjoy? His nodding almost brought me to tears, and I felt the stress of the last month lift off my shoulders. _I'd be able to eat again._ It took all my willpower to not put a hand over my hurting stomach. Only a few more days and I'll have a full stomach. I was torn out of my reverie when I heard a grunt from Jinn, but when I looked down he was staring hard at Artoo's dome. He looked back at me when he saw me staring.

"So?" He looked a little impatient as he waited for me to respond. I smiled.

"I'd love to!" He grinned back, before standing up.

"Good. Then you can get started now." I blinked at him shocked. He pointed over towards a broken droid. "Fix that, we'll see just how much you know. Artoo can wait a bit." I looked at him, to the little droid slumped in the corner. I smirked. Easy.

"You coulda given me a _little bit_ of a challenge. I could do this in my sleep." He raised an eyebrow, a smile dancing lightly across his hard features.

"Oh yeah? Well let's see what you got kid." He slapped me on the shoulder as I turned around, making my way to the droid. I picked it up, opening the back compartment. I messed around, poking throughout the wires. They were fine. _Okay, so not the wiring or programming._ I closed the little hatch and turned the bot around, looking for any external damages. I scrunched my eyebrows. No scratch marks, dents…nothing. I opened my mouth to say something, but when I looked over at Jinn, his eyes were lit in amusement, and his mouth stretched into a smug grin as I struggled to figure out what was wrong. I snapped my jaw closed, glared at him before glaring down at the bot. _I'll wipe that smirk right off his face._ I thought to myself. _Wiring was okay. Physical body was okay._ I opened the droid's chest up, looking at the internal hard drive. _Perfect condition._ A thought struck me. I smiled before flipping the droid over and turning it on. Its eyes lit as a sign of life, and I felt the bot vibrate in my hands.

"Hell- my name- T4- service?" It stuttered out. A wicked smile spreads across my face. _The voice replicator._ Easy. I turned the bot back off and opened its face plate, removing the replicator. I fingered it in my hands, trying to analyze what was wrong with it. It wasn't hard to do, because nearly everything was wrong with it. Completely corroded.

"He needs a new voice replicator." I looked around the store. "Do you have one in here? I'll replace it." Jinn didn't look surprised that I found the problem, but his grin told me he wasn't done yet.

"Nope. You need to make one." My eyes widened in shock and I felt my jaw hang loose. His grin spreads wider. If his lips stretched any farther, his face would break in two.

"Are you _crazy?"_ I cried out as I threw my hands in the air, my left one still clutching the replicator. "Why the Force would I need to _make_ one? You have like a box of them right over there!" To prove my point further, I shoved my finger violently towards to box on the ground in the corner. He shrugged his shoulders, a look of 'I told you so' all over his face, before taking the replicator from my hands.

"If you needed one for a customer's droid, but we ran out what would you do? What if we didn't have a shipment coming in until the next week? But that's okay." He sighed. "I'll just let you sweep or something I guess." He turned to walk away but before he could I swiped the replicator from his hands. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'll go with _or something_." I said defiantly. His smirk melted off his face and was replaced with a fond and nostalgic smile. My brow crinkled. "What?" I questioned. He only shook his head.

"You just remind me of someone is all." I shrugged, turning around and set myself to work. I'll show him. I'll make the best damn replicator he's ever seen. I took a second analyzing the structure of the replicator, inside and out. I milled around the store, helping myself to the products on the shelves that I'd need to make it. I returned to the droid on the ground, and aggressively sat myself next to it. I saw Jinn in my peripheral lean against the counter, his arms crossed against his chest. Artoo was still shut off, but was right next to him.

It took me about twenty-five minutes to assemble it, but I found it to be easier than I thought. Mildly surprised, I installed the replicator into the droid's face plate and closed it shut. I turned on the little droid.

"Hello, my name is T4-E9. How may I be of service?" The female voice filtered throughout the store, and I couldn't help but look up at Jinn with the biggest shit eating grin I could muster. I couldn't even hide my smugness. He smiled.

"You're good." I stood up and dusted off my tunic.

"I know."

* * *

I shuffled around my home nervously as I was getting ready for the day. It was my first day of my new job, working as a mechanic. I felt my lips slowly stretch into a smile. _I'm a mechanic now._ I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard the comm beep, letting me know I had an incoming call. I darted towards where my communicator laid and answered it, I nearly crying out in relief when I saw my Master's image pop up.

"Uncle Ben!" I couldn't keep the excitement from my voice, and I watched as he smiled softly.

"My young P-niece, is it ever a pleasure to hear your voice again." Ben's elegant voice filtered through the entire room, his slip up barely noticeable. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.

"I missed you too Uncle Ben." I said softly.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to contact you, young one. I have been traveling from planet to planet, and the communication gets spotty when you're in deep space." I nodded.

"I was really worried, but I'm glad to know you're safe. Any update?" I knew better than to ask about finding Vader explicitly, as the Imperials are probably tapping everyone's communication systems looking for him, hence why saying things related to Jedi like _Padawan_ is a big no no. Uncle Ben shook his head.

"No luck yet young one." He replied sadly. My shoulder's sagged, he wasn't coming home any time soon. I wanted to ask him where he was, but I didn't want to compromise his safety.

"Can I start to call you now?" I asked, my voice hopeful. My heart felt like it was crushed into pieces when I saw the forlorn look that crossed his slowly aging face.

"It is too dangerous Leia, I cannot risk your safety. If bounty hunters looking for cheap money were to pick up on your transmissions…" I sighed. Tatooine was a credit mine for bounty hunters, not only because of the Hutt's but it was common for bounty hunters to trace comm calls coming in from Tatooine. They would then track the person down and kidnap them, holding them for ransom. Unfortunately, it's a common occurrence.

"I know, I just miss you is all." I said. Uncle Ben smiled.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Leia. I promise you, but I've been gone a while. How have you been fairing?" He asked. He folded his arms against his chest, and started stroking his beard. A habit I feel he's had way before I was born.

"It was fine the first couple of weeks, then by the end of this month I had to ration." Uncle Ben's face tightened in worry. "But I got a job at a new mech shop! I'm officially a mechanic." I finished, a proud smile on my face. My master matched my smile.

"I'm proud Leia, I know how much you love tinkering with the speeder. I'm glad you can work on other machines as well now." I nodded eagerly.

"Jinn wanted to see how much experience I had so he had me fix up a protocol droid like Threepio. I even made a voice replicator from scratch!" My master smiled.

"Well then Jinn should feel very lucky to have such a great employee."

"He better." I quipped with a smile as I remembered the look on his face when I fixed the droid's voice replicator.

"Should I be worried about this…Jinn? How old is he?" Leia rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a smile from hearing the protectiveness in her Master's voice.

"He's like forty years old Uncle. I'm pretty sure I'll be okay. He's little hard around the edges but I think on the inside he's a _total_ softy." I thought for a moment. "He's pretty sarcastic, I think you'd like him." This time, Uncle Ben was the one who rolled his eyes.

"Well then I can't wait to meet him. When do you start?" I looked at the chrono and gasped.

"In three minutes!" Uncle Ben arched a brow as he watched me trip into my boots and rush to gather my things. I ran in front of the comm again and looked at him. "Please call me again soon, I want to talk more." Uncle Ben nodded before we swapped goodbyes and ended the call. I dashed out the door and sprinted to the market. I was using the force to dodge people, but pushed the occasional person over as to not raise suspicion, though it did not lessen the many looks of annoyance or amusement thrown my way.

I was always late to classes when I was younger, being knocked down by me was not an uncommon occurrence for the townsfolk.

I finally burst through the door of the shop. Jinn turned around from his spot by the shelves in mild surprise as I bent over with my hands on my knees, gasping for air. Jinn silently watched me as I slowly got my breath back.

"I-I'm he-here. I'm here." I panted, trying not to wheeze. I stayed crouched for another second to gather air into my lungs and soon lifted my head up and closed my eyes. "All good." I opened my eyes to see Jinn looking at me with a raised brow.

"You were gonna be late. Weren't you." The red color on my sweaty face deepened. I straightened my back out and looked at him. Still breathing heavily but nowhere near as bad as I was a second ago. I stuck my chin out.

"No." I said, keeping eye contact with him.

"Yes." He deadpanned.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes-wait!" I exclaimed indigently. Jinn just looked at me with one eyebrow raised, his arms crossed against his broad chest. I shrank back slightly. "Okay, maybe a little. My uncle commed me as I was getting ready." I said, defeated. Jinn let a victorious smirk spread across his features slightly.

"Uh-huh." I huffed and crossed my arms.

"I'm not lying!" Jinn threw his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. He then pointed over to some old droids in the back corner of the store.

"Today we're going to fix up and clean up these old service droids so we can sell them later." I nodded and followed him as we made our way over to the corner. I watched as Jinn sat down in the middle of a bunch of tools and got to work. I sat down in front of him, and grabbed one of the droids and made myself comfortable.

"So, you just sit here and fix stuff?" I asked as I unscrewed the back hatch to the service droid.

"Basically. And the occasional person comes in and buys something, or drops something off for me to fix." He replied. I nodded, but neither one of us were looking at each other, so I don't think he noticed. "I make home calls to things like speeders or if a machine at a moisture farm isn't working."

"Can I come with you on those?" This time, he did look up at me. I instantly panicked, worried I pushed my boundaries. "I mean, I've never really worked on anything at moisture farms. I'd like to learn. You don't have to pay me for that or anything, I just want to see how it's done." I said quickly, trying to backtrack. My worries melted away at his next words.

"Yeah, sure I guess if you really want to. Though sometimes I must stay overnight to make sure the generators won't blow out in the middle of the night. You sure you're up for that?" I nodded eagerly and his eyes softened. This, I gathered was his own way of smiling. "Okay, then the next time I get asked, I'll let you know." I grinned brightly at him and turned my focus back on the droid.

We were silent for a while, each working on our respective droid. I was just cleaning mine up when Jinn went and reached for another.

"I think we need to talk." He said. I nearly dropped my droid.

"Oh no are you firing me _already_? Did I fix the droid wrong? It wasn't because I was almost late this- "He waved me off.

"No! No, it's not that." He put the droid down and looked at me with a serious gaze. "We need to talk about you practically announcing to the galaxy that you're force sensitive." My stomach dropped, and it felt like ice was pooling into my gut. This was it.

"I- I don't know what you're- "

"Leia." I held his gaze for a moment, the silence almost felt deafening, before I conceded. He knew. I couldn't help the fear that coursed through my veins. I felt my eyes start to water. _What have I done?_ My stupidity has just signed my death certificate along with Uncle Ben's. The empire will have us executed for sure.

"Are…are you going to turn me in?" I couldn't keep my voice from shaking nor could I stop the tears that built up. There was no way out of this. Jinn was at _least_ foot taller than me, and three times bigger. He could apprehend me without even batting an eye even with my training, especially if I can't use the force to blow my cover.

Jinn's blue eyes widened and he reached out to grasp my shoulder. His grip was hard, but not enough to hurt.

" _What?_ No! Oh, Force no, Leia, I'm trying to _protect_ you!" He said, his other hand flitting up briefly to touch my chin. I felt my body relax as the relief flooded through me. His grip on my shoulder loosening until it was more of a comforting gesture. He looked me in the eyes. "I'm force sensitive as well." I looked up at him in shock.

"What?" That was _not_ what I was expecting. "There's no way! I would have sensed it!" His blue eyes lit with amusement. A proud, almost smug, smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"I learned how to completely cover my signature." My eyes widened, Uncle Ben has been working with me on that for years and I still couldn't do it.

"How?" I asked, leaning forward. He shrugged.

"I'll teach you." He put his droid down and I did the same. "How much do you know?" _Enough to wield a lightsaber._ I refrained from voicing my thoughts. He may be force sensitive but that doesn't mean he likes Jedi.

"Enough." He squinted at my vague answer still replied.

"Clearly not if I could immediately find you out." My eyes widened. "Yeah. That stunt you pulled in the first five minutes of being in my store? If anyone else had seen that they would have reported you and you would have had no idea." I looked down in embarrassment.

"I know, that was pretty stupid." I felt the shame flow through me, as I recalled how foolish I had been.

"Hey." I looked up when I felt Jinn nudge my shoulder gently. "I can help cover your signature, but you gotta work on not using the Force. Under _no_ circumstances Leia, you're not experienced enough to cover your tracks if you use it." I nodded. A thought occurred to me.

"Is this why you hired me?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I really did need the help, but I also figured it would also give us a reason of why you'd constantly be here. The Empire has eyes everywhere, including this ball of sand. They've busted people across the galaxy before." He looked away for a moment, his sad blue eyes not meeting mine, before he continued. "I can help, but you have to trust me."

"I do." I replied immediately. Slightly embarrassed at my quick response, I smiled softly at him.

"Good. Then let's get started." I started.

"Like right now?" My voice went an octave higher. Jinn just look to me with his usual expression of indifference, but his eyes looked amused.

"What better time is there? Come on."

Droids soon forgotten, he got into a meditative position and I followed suit. We sat for a while before we both slipped into a meditative state. I relaxed a bit further, enjoying the peacefulness when I felt another presence enter my mind. Knowing it was Jinn's, I tentatively let my presence brush against his like I do with Uncle Ben. But I was shaken by what occurred next.

A sudden jolt flooded through my brain, a warmth spreading throughout all the veins in my body and startled me out of my quick meditation. It overtook my entire mind, making me see white dance across my vision as if some sort of flash went off. I gasped, and clutched my head. Not in pain, but in shock. My other hand grasped quickly at my chest, pressing hard. It had felt as though a void had been filled in my chest, like an enlightenment. _Like something that was lost had been returned to me._ I looked over to Jinn who seemed kind of dazed himself. His blue eyes were glazed over.

"What happened?" I asked. Jinn's eyes met mine after he took a second to compose himself.

"That, little one, was a force bond." He said.

"But that didn't feel like the one I have with my Uncle." I replied. If he was surprised that my uncle was force sensitive he didn't show it.

"Did he raise you? How involved was he in your life?" He inquired, there was a look in his eyes that I noticed, but I wasn't sure. Almost as if he was trying to act casual. I replied fondly as I thought of uncle Ben.

"My entire life. He was the first and only person to ever hold me as a newborn." A look passed over his features, but he quickly schooled his face.

"Sometimes the Force bonds happen naturally. I assume that it formed whenever you first started showing signs of the Force, so naturally neither of you would have really noticed it being created." I nodded. That made sense.

"So, why did we form one? We haven't known each other that long." I asked tentatively. He was quiet for a moment, which I assumed was because he was thinking of the answer himself.

"The Force works in mysterious ways." Was all he replied. I scrunched my eyebrows up at the answer, but I decided to let it go. "But that works in our favor, because now it'll be much easier to cover your signature." I paused at his statement. Wait.

" _Easier_?" He shrugged.

"I've been completely covering your signature since I first felt yours." It didn't get past me that it had been a month since we met. I felt a deep since of appreciation flow through me. To protect a stranger like that…no one has ever done that for me. But to cover his own and mine constantly like this must take a lot. It only meant one thing. He had to be extremely powerful.

"Wow, um…thank you." He shrugged again. "So how do I fully cover mine?"

"A lot of concentration, but you're nearly there. You just need to work on it. It'll take a while before you can cover it while using the force though."

And for the remainder of the afternoon I sat with him deep in meditation, helping me strengthen my use of the force. I would never tell Uncle Ben this, but Jinn's methods were easier to follow than his. Jinn was a very hard person, but he isn't always serious like Uncle Ben is. Maybe that's why his-

" _Concentrate."_ I nearly jumped out of my skin, when I heard Jinn's calm baritone voice in my head. I know I didn't hear him say that out loud. A flicker of amusement trickled through the Force before it disappeared. " _It's the bond."_ He clarified. I was shocked into silence and awe for a moment.

 _"I can't even do this with Uncle Ben."_ I said, testing it out. I felt Jinn wince mentally.

 _"Jeez kid, you don't have to yell."_

 _"Sorry."_

" _And you most likely can do this with him, he just never showed you."_ Why would Ben hide this from me? Did he not trust me? Did he not think I was good enough?

" _Don't be upset with him. The stronger you get in the Force, the more difficult you are to hide. He most likely did it to protect you."_

 _"So, you're showing me this why?"_ I asked. If it were safer for me not to learn…

 _"Because in my opinion, the more you know about the Force, the more you can learn about it. The more you can learn about it, the stronger with the Force you'll be."_ I snorted.

 _"That sounds like something my uncle would say."_ A warm feeling filtered from the Force and spread through me. Affection.

" _Yeah, well get used to it little one. Us old folk usually know what we're talking about."_ And with that, I felt his presence leave. I was surprised to find I actually felt... _empty_ without the presence. I pulled myself out of the mediation to see Jinn walking over to the counter. A customer walked in the door right as Jinn made it, and I hastily picked up a droid to look busy. He must have sensed them earlier while we were communicating. Once the customer left, Jinn came back over to continue working on the droids.

"Thanks." I said quietly, "For helping me with all this." For the first time since I've met him, he let out a real smile. And I couldn't help but return one of my own.

* * *

"So how did it go?" Talia asked as we walked to the diner. After I left Jinn's a couple standard hours ago, Talia and I met up so we could chat. We were currently meeting the said man for dinner, as he had offered to get food for us during our shift. I suggested we, including Talia-she would have killed me otherwise-, meet at the old diner to which he agreed.

"Talia, it was amazing!" I gushed. "I get to work with droids and stuff all day, I love it." She laughed at me as we made our way over to a booth in the corner. "There's a lot more, but I'll tell you when we're alone." I gave her a pointed look and she nodded.

"I'm glad you're happy." She said with a smile. We both slipped into a side of the booth and chatted lightly as we waited for Jinn. After a few minutes, I spotted Jinn walking in, and I waved him over after I grabbed his attention. He silently slipped into the booth next to me.

"Long time no see Jinn." I sent him a goofy smile to which he just rolled his eyes at. Said eyes landed on Talia, he gave her a light nod.

"Great to see you again Talia." She smiled, her cheeks ever so slightly tinting pink.

"I'm surprised you remembered my name honestly. It's been a while." Jinn jerked his head in my direction.

"As if I could forget it, with Leia here never shutting up about you." I scoffed. I mention her _twice_ during our shift. Drama queen. Talia just gave another smile before she plucked a menu resting up against the napkin holder and scanned her eyes over it. Jinn and I both repeated her actions, and we were all silent until we picked out our meals. After Talia placed her menu down, she spoke.

"While my brother was home he said that the kidnappings have tripled the last few weeks. The bounty hunters are having the time of their lives." I raised my eyebrows. Our new conversation was quickly interrupted as the serving droid came up to take our orders. It swiftly whirled away after we had given them.

"I'll be surprised if the Emperor does anything about it." I replied. Jinn made a grunt in the back of his throat in agreement.

"You know he won't. Especially now that his guard dog is gone, he won't risk it." She said sourly. I nodded and felt Jinn stiffen slightly next to me. Talia continued. "I wonder what's going to happen now that Vader is gone." I thought of Uncle Ben, and wondered the same thing.

As the droid came back and placed our drinks on the table, I felt a flicker of apprehensiveness through Jinn and I's force bond, but it quickly disappeared as I felt his shields go up. I scrunched up my eyebrows and looked at him, but he didn't meet my concerned gaze. I knew he didn't support the empire, but something must have happened to make him genuinely uncomfortable to talk about it. I briefly wondered if it had to do with his past. I turned back towards the conversation once the droid left again.

"Hopefully he'll turn himself into the Alliance and they can work with him on taking down the Empire." I said quietly. Talia looked to me, her head cocked to the side in thought.

"You think they would?"

"I think they would be stupid not to." I replied. "He was second in command, he has to know all the secrets of the Empire. He would be a very powerful ally in defeating the Empire. All darkness aside, he really is a brilliant military strategist and tactician." Talia's mouth dropped, and Jinn's head whirled around towards me, his blue eyes dubious.

"You're _complimenting_ him?" She asked, flabbergasted. I threw my hands up to defend myself.

"I said all darkness aside!" She shook her head.

"Do you know how many people have died at his hands?" Jinn asked, his voice sharp, almost aggressive. "How can you even give him that?" I looked at him, a little put off at his attitude.

"Because it would be ignorant to not admit it! He was skilled at what he did, even if it was bad, you can't deny that when he wanted something done, _it got done._ " Jinn shook his head and looked away in disbelief. "We would be foolish to deny the fact he is the _only one_ who can truly destroy the emperor and dismantle the Empire. We all know it. Why do you think the emperor wants to find him so badly?" Jinn and Talia were both silent for a moment.

"She's not wrong." Talia conceded. "He was the emperor's right-hand man. If anyone knew how to take down that old coot, it would be Vader." Despite Jinn's clear abhorrence to the topic of the conversation, a flicker of amusement reached his eyes.

"I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to him as an 'old coot' before." Jinn muttered in amusement.

"Yeah? Well that's nothing compared to what I usually call him." Talia said hotly. A smile tugged at Jinn's mouth as I reach across and grabbed Talia's hand.

"Down girl. You gotta be careful, we don't know who'll overhear." Talia simmered down, but the defiance never left her eyes. "You've been listening to your older brother too much." She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't remind me, he's coming home tomorrow. For a while I think." I was silent for a moment, before I voiced something that's been on my mind for a while.

"Do you think he left because he felt bad?" I asked quietly. Talia scoffed.

"Felt bad? Did that machine even have emotions?" She said sourly.

"I don't know, it's just, why did he leave?" I questioned. Jinn shook his head before he answered.

"Because he was a _coward,_ Leia." I looked to him.

"He was a coward for leaving?" Jinn glared at the table.

"He was a coward for everything he's done." He shot back, I thought hard on that.

"That may be true, but there has to be a reason for him leaving." I countered. Talia looked at me incredulously.

"Why are you even defending him? He killed your father!" She exclaimed. Jinn snapped his head up to me, a look of horror morphing onto his face.

"What?" He asked sharply. I looked to him, before looking away.

"A couple hours before I was born, dad squared off with him. He didn't win." Jinn was deathly quiet, his face ashen, but Talia wasn't.

"So why are you acting as though you aren't angry about it? Why all this 'maybe he felt bad' stuff?" I shrugged.

"Because I don't want to be angry about it anymore Talia."

"That doesn't even- "

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." Talia looked at me confused, but I continued. "It's a mantra the Jedi used to say to help refrain from the darkness."

"Just because you're angry doesn't mean you'll become a Sith Lord, Leia." Talia said.

"Does it not?"

Talia and I looked to Jinn in mild surprise, as he had been mostly moody and quiet during the conversation. Other than putting in a few biting remarks.

"It's that simple Talia." He said sadly. "All it takes is a seed of doubt to grow into a forest of darkness." His eyes held a haunted look, as he stared off to the side.

"So, Leia doesn't have a right to be angry that tall, dark and mouth breather left her an orphan?" She deadpanned. I shook my head.

"It's not that Talia. If I stay angry, if I feed that anger, I will want revenge. And I refuse to become what killed my father." I looked down at the table. "He wouldn't have wanted that. Not at all." I felt Jinn place a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently before the hand disappeared.

"I wish I were as wise as you Buns." Talia said. I laughed, trying to do away with my sadness.

"It is indeed a rare quality for someone your age Leia." Jinn put in. "I think your parents would have been immensely proud of the young woman you've become." I felt my throat tighten at the words, and closed my eyes for a second to compose myself. That was my _one_ wish. That my parents would be proud. I gave Jinn a small smile, but I let my feelings known through our bond. Not surprisingly, Talia interrupted the moment.

"You still have one hell of a temper though." We all laughed at that. Before I could respond, our food arrived, and my plate was put in front of me.

My mouth watered at the dustcrepe in front of me. Discussion forgotten, we all dug in. We all conversated lightly as we ate, Talia telling stories about her brother harassing us, me talking about the mischief I would get into as a child and all the gray hairs Uncle Ben claims I gave him, and Jinn listened intently. Quietly putting in his input every now and then.

Once our meal was over Jinn insisted on paying for our food, leaving no room for arguments. We just walked out the door when Jinn took in our surroundings.

"It's nearly dark out, are you two okay to walk home by yourselves?" I held in a scoff and subconsciously brushed my hand against the hilt of my hidden lightsaber. Talia gave a knowing smile.

"Don't worry J, if anyone here can defend our honor its this spitfire." She gave me a warm pat on the shoulder. "She once dislocated my behemoth of a brother's shoulder because he called her Buns." I blushed, a scowl on my face.

"I told him I hated that nickname." I grumbled, touching my hair. "And _you_." Talia smirked.

"Well, not as much as you hate P-" Jinn cut her off before I could.

"Well that won't help against Sand People." He said, a ghost of a smirk on his face. Talia sighed.

"I'm gonna sleep over tonight anyway so we'll be walking to her house together. Really, there's nothing to worry about." She said plainly. Jinn shook his head.

"I won't risk it." He stepped back and put a sweeping hand out in front of him. "Lead the way ladies." I smiled lightly, and ignored Talia's scoff. As we walked, Talia chattered away, leaving us giggling at her statements, while Jinn walked silently behind us. It was a short walk, and Talia marched right inside as we reached the door. I turned around, giving Jinn a small smile.

"It was unnecessary, but thanks for making sure we got home okay." Jinn shook his head.

"Anything concerning your safety is never unnecessary." He stated, and I felt appreciation swell in me at the conviction in his words. Almost as if it were an oath.

"Well thank you." He smiled before he turned to walk away, and I started to make my way inside.

"For what it's worth," I turned to look at him as I heard his voice, my hand on the doorframe. "I think you're right about Vader." I bit my lip in thought briefly, before I spoke.

"There is no doubt he has done terrible things. Like killing my dad." My voice tightened with emotion, so I cleared my throat. "But there's always room for forgiveness. One just has to open their heart to change." Jinn's face became bitter.

"It's not always that easy." I shook my head.

"It's not. But if Vader managed to see the wrong he was doing and is seeking redemption; don't you think we should have enough in ourselves to have a change of heart too?" He was quiet as he took in my words.

"Maybe." His voice was soft in the dark desert night. I smiled lightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" A slight movement in the dimming light told me he nodded before replying.

"Bright and early, little one."

* * *

A week had flown by and I was working in the shop as I thought about my latest conversation with my master. We chatted for a while, mostly about my job, but I so desperately wanted to tell him all I was learning in the Force from Jinn. Only in a matter of days, I felt myself become more connected with the Force, and stronger. I couldn't tell him though, not at the risk of Imperials listening.

I was sitting on top of the counter cross-legged in the shop, fixing a droid's optics while Jinn was sitting on a stool working on a list of what products he needed to order in the next few days. We were enjoying the peace and quiet, something not uncommon as people were still scared of Jinn, when I heard the galaxies most obnoxious voice call out.

"Anyone here?" I turned around to see an unwelcome face -Talia's brother- walk into the store. Jinn stood up to greet him as I rolled off the counter and dove under Jinn's long legs to hide under the counter. He stumbled a bit, grabbing the counter to keep his balance. He shot me a glare as I sat crouched on the ground, before making his way over to where the man stood.

"What can I help you with?" Jinn asked. He held up his broken hydro spanner.

"I broke it trying to repair my speeder. You have a couple more?" Jinn nodded.

"I have _just_ the employee to help you pick one out." He said wryly. He turned around, lightly glaring at me as he made his way over to where I was. I shook my head vehemently, my eyes bugging out in panic. He ignored me. I reached out in our bond.

" _No no no no Jinn please no no no"_ Jinn ignored my pleas as he placed a large hand on my shoulder and hiked me up, revealing my hiding spot. I cursed under my breath and closed my eyes as I heard the most annoying nickname in the history of nicknames.

"Princess!" I sighed, opening my eyes to glare at Talia's brother.

"Han." I said sourly. He made his way closer to the counter.

"Aw come on, I know you missed me." I scoffed, folding my arms. Jinn raised an eyebrow, watching the encounter unfold.

"Miss _you_? Any time away from you is a dream come true." Han's grin could have split his face in two.

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder, your worshipfulness." I scowled.

"You're the _last_ person my heart would grow fonder for, nerf herder." He casually strolled by me as he made his way to the rack with the hydro spanners. He took his time picking one out as I glared at Jinn, any semblance of my once good mood gone. He walked back over, and I grudgingly stuck out my hand. Han just looked at it with a raised eyebrow. I sighed. "Five credits, nerf herder." Han rolled his eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you can't think of any other clever nicknames." He tossed a five on the counter before taking the hydro spanner. I scowled at him, and Jinn just kept looking back and forth, watching the exchange with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't waste my time thinking about names to call you, Han. I have much more important things to do."

"Like glaring holes into the back of people's heads?" He snarked. I scoffed, putting my hands on my hips. Jinn raised a hand slowly in the air to try and diffuse the situation.

"Hey guys let's-"

"Who do you think you are?" I snapped, and it was Han's turn to scoff as he shifted his feet, crossing his hands over his chest.

"Okay wait-"

"Riiiight. I apologize your worshipfulness, I forgot you're too good for everybody else." My hands left my hips, clenching into fists. "Your _charming_ demeanor made that very clear." I stormed closer to the counter as Jinn glared at Han.

"Now just hold on-"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I yelled. Han raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

"Which part?" He said with a frustratingly handsome smirk. "The part where I called you a snob, or having the personality of a Rancor?" I smacked my hands down on the counter in anger.

"Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, _nerf herder_!" I shouted. Han's smirk fell off, and in its place, came a hard scowl. He slammed his hands on the counter as well, our faces inches apart.

"Who the hell are you calling _scruffy looking?_ " He snapped.

"Well not Jinn that's for sure!" I yelled back. Jinn threw his hands up in the air as Han's eyes landed on him. Han glare returned to me before pushing off the counter and sauntering towards the entrance.

"You know what? Employees here are a little rude. I might just take my business to someone else from now on!" Han yelled as he marched out the door.

"Well thank the Force for that! Now the galaxy has been restored to its full glory ONCE AGAIN!" I screamed as the door slammed shut. "UGH!" I threw my hands up in the air and spun around, stomping past Jinn towards the droid I was previously working on.

"What just happened?" Jinn asked, almost to himself. "Other than the fact we just lost a customer?" I aggressively twisted my head to look at him over my shoulder.

"Trust me, you don't want that-that- _scoundrel_ as a customer. We're better off without him." I turned back around towards the droid, sensing Jinn walking around to face me.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, it sounds like you like him." The droid slipped from my hands, and if it weren't for Jinn's reflexes, it would have shattered on the ground. "Careful there." I stared up at Jinn in bewilderment. He stared right back, amusement filtering around him as he placed the droid on the counter.

" _Han?_ " I flushed, completely humiliated at even the _thought_ of having feelings for that nerf herder. "As if! He's the most annoying person in the galaxy!" Jinn just raised an eyebrow.

"Sure."

"I'm serious!"

"Uh huh."

"Jinn!" He threw his hands up in surrender and ducked his head, before stalking towards his inventory sheet that he was working on.

"Don't worry," Jinn said as he flipped through the papers. "He's too old for you anyway." I peeked over at him from my droid.

"It doesn't matter, because _I don't like him._ " Jinn didn't look up from his papers.

"Good. Because he's _too old for you._ " I rolled my eyes, shivering at the very thought of ever being with the over confident smuggler. I looked over at Jinn, and noticed the corner of his lips quirk up slightly. I shook my head and went back to working on the droid, not being able to help the small smile that graced my features.


End file.
